The Mouse Castle Lounge Podcast: Disney News and Interviews, Cocktails and Conversations
Tim Callaway
Disney artists and Imagineers, animators and authors, even Disney Legends have visited with host Tim Callaway in The Mouse Castle Lounge. Join Tim as he delves into Disney movies, music, books, television, theme parks and history. From Mickey Mouse to Mulan, from Disneyland to Walt Disney World, from Pinocchio to Pixar, it's always good times and great conversations...and a few surprises. Welcome to the party. Come on in! www.TheMouseCastle.com
Episodes
MCL 08-11-2021 - 'Jungle Cruise' Review and Scarlett Johansson vs. Disney
Tim and Anthony review "Jungle Cruise," then take a hard turn into the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Jumanji" movies. They also discuss Disneyland's new Magic Key program, Scarlett Johansson's fight with Disney over "Black Widow," and Walt Disney World's upcoming Galactic Starcruiser experience. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 07-28-2021 - 'Jungle Cruise' Premieres at Disneyland and 'Behind the Attraction' on Disney Plus
What do "Jungle Cruise" starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt and the Titanic have in common? Hopefully, not a lot, other than Tim and Anthony talk about them both on today's episode. They also review "Behind the Attraction" on Disney+ and discuss Disney moving 2,000 jobs from California to Florida. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 07-06-2021 - 'Star Wars' Anime, Disneyland Resort Restaurant Closures, and the Return of RunDisney
Star Wars Visions is a new anime anthology series coming to Disney+. Tim and Anthony share their thoughts on it, but not before they bitch about every little change that's happening at Disney theme parks. Also, PCH Grill and Steakhouse 55 are closing at DLR and RunDisney events are returning to Walt Disney World. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 06-29-2021 - VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando and a new 'Tower of Terror' Movie
For a Disney podcast, Tim and Anthony spend a lot of time talking about Universal Orlando this week. Anthony shares his recent Florida trip including his first ride on VelociCoaster. Also, Scarlett Johansson is making a Tower of Terror movie. Does Steve Guttenberg know (or care)? www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 06-11-2021 - Avengers Campus, 'Loki,' and Vaccinated Cruises
Avengers Campus is now open at Disney California Adventure. Is it living up to expectations? Also, Tim and Anthony preview "Loki" on Disney+ and discuss an upcoming "test cruise" on the Disney Dream in Florida to verify Disney Cruise Line is COVID compliant. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 05-28-2021 - 'Cruella,' 'Jungle Cruise,' Themed Bars and Arby's
Anthony has Arby's for lunch while he and Tim talk about "Cruella" with Emma Stone and Emma Thompson (but not Emma Watson) and "Jungle Cruise" with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. They also share updates on Avengers Campus at Disneyland and take a look at a new Haunted Mansion-themed bar in Oregon. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 05-21-2021 - 'Star Wars' Galactic Cruising and Disney Cruise Line 'Wish' Cruising
It's a cruising episode as Tim and Anthony talk about the upcoming Star Wars-themed Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line's new ship, the Disney Wish, which will set sail from Port Canaveral in Florida starting next year. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 04-28-2021 - Disney 'Woke' Culture, the Oscars and Jim Henson
Tim and Anthony discuss whether or not Disney "woke" culture is a bad thing, an Oscar ceremony that was both memorable and forgettable, and an upcoming biopic about Muppet creator Jim Henson. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 04-20-2021 - Tim and Anthony's 100th Episode
Tim and Anthony celebrate their 100th podcast episode together with cocktails (of course) and more talk about Disneyland's reopening. Plus, Pixar's Soul bags seven Annie Awards and Marvel releases a new trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 04-13-2021 - Disneyland Prepares to Reopen, New Rides at Universal Studios Hollywood, and Disneyland Jail
Tim and Anthony are back, talking about what to expect when Disneyland reopens at the end of the month. Also, Anthony expresses his undying love for Universal Studios and Tim shares the story of how he should have ended up in Disneyland Jail. www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 04-07-2021 - Inside the Mouse Castle Lounge with Tim and Anthony
Tim Callaway and Anthony Reynolds did a thing...five years after they did their last thing together. The Mouse Castle is back (sort of). www.TheMouseCastle.com
MCL 05-29-2018 - Artist Denise Chamberlain Talks About Mary Blair
EDITOR'S NOTE: After posting this interview with Denise Chamberlain, I was contacted by Mary Blair's niece, Maggie Richardson, contesting information in the interview. In an e-mail, Maggie told me Denise is not a blood relation of Mary Blair, never met her, and does not represent the Blair family. I contacted Denise for comment, and she confirmed her relationship to Mary was through Denise's uncle, who married Mary's niece, Jeanne, when Denise was a child. Denise still contends that when she was young, she met Mary at various parties and family functions, and still considers Mary her "great aunt," even...
MCL 05-16-2018 - Jungle Cruise Skipper Stories with David Marley
David Marley is a historian with a PhD from George Washington University, but that's not important today. What matters is for four years he was a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland! In 2016, he wrote Skipper Stories: True Tales From Disneyland's Jungle Cruise, which contains dozens of interviews with fellow skips past and present. It's an insightful and often very funny look at one of Disneyland's most popular attractions. The book has proven so popular that volume two of Skipper Stories will be out later this year. David is going to share some of those stories with us today, so...
MCL 05-08-2018 - We Found Singer Tammy Tuckey on Main Street
Tammy Tuckey is living the dream. Tammy is a singer, actress and lifelong Disney fan who has just recorded and produced a musical album called You'll Find Me On Main Street. a collection of Tammy's favorite songs from Walt Disney World. It's an eclectic mix of tunes ranging from "Two Brothers" from The American Adventure to "Tomorrow's Child" from Spaceship Earth to "The Great Outdoors" from The County Bear Jamboree Vacation Hoedown. Tammy has a great voice and an obvious love of the material. The passion she brings to the project makes You'll Find Me On Main Street the Dis...
MCL 05-01-2018 - The Return of The Mouse Castle Lounge with Disney Historian Jim Korkis
The Mouse Castle Lounge is back! We've pulled the dust covers off the furniture and restocked the bar. And Tim is happy to welcome back a good friend of The Mouse Castle Lounge. He is a prolific author, especially when it comes to Disney history. His books include The Vault of Walt Series, The Secret Stories of Walt Disney World series, Who's Afraid of the Song of the South and The Book of Mouse. His latest book is Call Me Walt: Everything You Never Knew About Walt Disney. Ladies and gentlemen of Team Mouse Castle, we're back! So please...
MCL 11-01-2016 - A Farewell Toast
The Mouse Castle Lounge has been absent for a few months. Tim explains where he's been and what lies ahead. www.TheMouseCastle.comRSS Feed: http://themousecastle.libsyn.com/rss
MCL 07-20-2016 - 'Alice' Visual Effects Artist Tefft Smith
Comic-Con International kicks off Thursday in San Diego and I will be there along with Team Mouse Castle and about 150,000 of our closest nerdy friends as we pack the San Diego Convention Center. It will be my first visit ever to Comic-Con, and I'm super excited to finally be a part of all the craziness. I'm also super excited about my guest today, a gentleman who will co-host a presentation at Comic-Con at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. He's one of the previsualization supervisors with Halon Entertainment, Tefft Smith. Tefft will be joining visual effects editor Ed Marsh to present "...
MCL 06-21-2016 - Remembering Annette Funicello with Glen Holt and Dave Mason
A few weeks ago, we previewed the Collecting Disney auction with Mike Van Eaton from Van Eaton Galleries. This past weekend, over 700 items of Disney history and memorabilia went under the hammer at this successful auction event. Two of those items were a sweater and a pair of mouse ears that belonged to Disney Legend Annette Funicello. Proceeds from the sale of those items went to benefit the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases. Annette founded the Research Fund in 1993 to research the cause, treatment and cure of Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological diseases. In 1987, Annette...
MCL 06-02-2016 - Collecting Disney with Mike Van Eaton
It's always a pleasure when Mike Van Eaton from Van Eaton Galleries drops by the Lounge, because that means he's got some really cool Disney stuff up for auction. Today is no different. Now through June 17, you can visit Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California and see their Collecting Disney collection, over 700 items dating back to the earliest days of Mickey Mouse in the late 1920s. The collection includes over 40 years-worth of Walt Disney Studio related merchandise and collectibles. The items are priced for all budgets and tastes, so you can bid $50 on a vintage Sword in the...
MCL 05-26-2016 - Theme Park Historian Robert McLaughlin
Long before Walt Disney World opened--and later closed—an elaborately themed entertainment district, there was a Pleasure Island. Before Six Flags operated a hillside full of thrill rides in Southern California, there was a Magic Mountain. These theme parks were nothing like their contemporary namesakes and their lifespans were frustratingly short. But, along with their often-forgotten sister park, Freedomland in New York, they hold a special place in theme park history and provide a direct line connecting the game-changer that was Disneyland with Universal, Six Flags, Disney and other popular theme parks of today. In March, historian To...
MCL 04-17-2016 - How to Be a Disney Historian with Jim Korkis
So you want to be a Disney historian? A lot of peple aspire to the title, even though it doesn't pay well--if at all--and pretty much no one is going to hire you to fill the job vacancy of "Disney Historian." Still, it's a noble field with many esteemed names, a number of whom it's been my pleasure to welcome to The Mouse Castle Lounge: Jim Fanning, Sam Gennawey, Didier Ghez, J.B. Kaufman, Jeff Kurtti, Todd Pierce and Paula Sigman Lowery. And those are just the people who have contributed to Jim Korkis' new book, How...
MCL 04-09-2016 - Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival
For the first time in way too long, the Food and Wine Festival has returned to Disney California Adventure. It’s going on this month every Friday, Saturday and Sunday ending on May 1st. It’s a celebration of the tastes of California and an opportunity to sample an assortment of beverages and tasty treats you can’t otherwise find at DCA. You can eat and drink your way from Carthay Circle to Paradise Pier at 8 different Festival Marketplaces, plus there are a number of beverage seminars and culinary demonstrations happening throughout the event. In Hollywood Land, they’ve...
MCL 03-22-2016 - 'Three Years in Wonderland' with Disney Historian Todd Pierce
There’s been a lot written about the birth of Disneyland and how Walt’s eponymous theme park emerged from the Anaheim orange groves in the 1950s. We’ve all heard the myth-making official version: Walt visualizing his dream from a Griffith Park bench, the struggles to finance Disneyland, the struggles to build it, and especially the chaotic, near-disastrous opening day. But, have we ever really gotten the complete story? Disney historian Todd James Pierce sets out to do that in his fascinating new book, Three Years in Wonderland: The Disney Brothers, C.V. Wood, and the Making of the Gr...
MCL 03-16-2016 - Walt Disney Family Museum Director of Collections Michael Labrie
A few weeks ago, it was my pleasure to have filmmaker Pamela Tom in the Lounge to talk about her documentary Tyrus, the story of Chinese-American artist and Disney Legend Tyrus Wong. Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to finally see Tyrus on the big screen. The film opened CAAMFest, an annual film festival in the San Francisco Bay Area that supports and celebrates Asian art and culture. It was a delightful evening, with the screening held at San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre. It was followed by a gala at the Asian Art Museum. On display at...
MCL 03-05-2016 - Walt Disney Family Foundation Film Archivist Scott Zone
I first learned about Scott Zone from a recent article in the Orange County Register detailing his 20-year association with the Walt Disney Family Foundation and the Disney family. Through Scott’s work as a film archivist, he has restored and preserved 18 hours of home movies shot during Walt Disney’s lifetime. That in itself is an interesting topic of conversation. But, when I finally sat down to talk with Scott, I quickly learned that his Disney connection is just a small part of his successful career in the motion picture industry, a career that Scott began as a spec...
MCL 02-26-2016 - We Preview the 88th Annual Academy Awards
This week, Team Mouse Castle didn't make our usual trek to the red carpet in Hollywood to preview the Academy Awards. We found a pretty suitable substitute venue though, Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. Give a listen to Christi Andersen and me for our annual vague and highly suspect predictions on who will win at Sunday's Oscars.Joining us will be Carolyn with an award-worthy edition of Adventure Thru Liquid Space. What are you wearing? Who cares? What you're drinking on Oscar night is what really matters.Here are the major...
MCL 02-21-2016 - Filmmaker Pamela Tom Talks About Disney Legend Tyrus Wong
Tyrus Wong is a Disney Legend. Though his time at the Disney Studios was brief—only three years from 1938-1941—his contributions there were profound. It was Tyrus’ artistic vision that gave Disney’s Bambi it’s lush impressionistic forest backgrounds, a look that still influences and inspires artists and animators nearly 75 years after the film’s release. Tyrus’ work on Bambi represents only a small portion of his life’s prolific artistic output. Tyrus was part of the “Orientalist” art movement popular in the U.S. in the 1930s. After leaving Disney, Tyrus would spend over 25 years at Warner Bros...
MCL 02-13-2016 - The Cast of 'Gravity Falls'
After 3 ½ years, two full seasons and 40 episodes, Disney XD’s Gravity Falls is about to air its final show—and we're a little bummed by this. Gravity Falls is our favorite thing on Disney television right now, ranking right up there with Phineas and Ferb, another great Disney animated series that came to an end. The summer adventures of Dipper and Mabel Pines at their great uncle Stan’s Mystery Shack in the Oregon backwoods has been consistently funny, irreverent, exciting and even a little sweet. There have been mysteries solved, monsters defeated and life lessons learned in a show...
MCL 02-06-2016 - 'Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit' with Garry Apgar
It’s our pleasure to welcome back Garry Apgar to The Mouse Castle Lounge. In 2014, Garry compiled the book A Mickey Mouse Reader, an impressive collection of essays and articles spanning more than 80 years that bore witness to the immense popularity of Mickey Mouse and the impact Walt Disney’s creation had on popular culture. Garry revisits the eternal mouse once again in his latest book, Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit. It’s a worthy companion to A Mickey Mouse Reader and an educated and thoughtful study--in words and pictures--not only of Mickey’s life within the Walt Dis...
MCL 01-28-2016 - Journalist and Former Disney Imagineer Mark Eades
In our last show, historian Sam Gennawey and journalist Mark Eades shared their thoughts about Disneyland’s upcoming Star Wars Land expansion. We had some lively conversations and after the dust settled, Mark stuck around. He’s back today to tell us about his fascinating career, not only in his current role as multimedia reporter with the Orange County Register, but also as a 20-plus year veteran at the Walt Disney Company. In 1972, Mark started out bussing tables at the River Belle Terrace at Disneyland before becoming a ride operator in Tomorrowland. After graduating from college, he inte...
MCL 01-15-2016 - Disney Historian Sam Gennawey and Journalist Mark Eades
Star Wars Land is officially under construction at Disneyland. This week, to make way for the 14-acre addition to the park’s northwest corner, several sections of the park were closed—some temporarily, some permanently. The Rivers of America will be drained and rerouted, resulting in a shorter trip around a smaller Tom Sawyer Island. That project will take at least a year, which means no Mark Twain, no Columbia, no canoes, no island rafts and no Fantasmic! during that time. The Disneyland Railroad will also take a hiatus so the track around the river can be reconfigured. Big Thun...
MCL 12-20-2015 - Jim Korkis's 'Vault of Walt' and the Spirit of Christmas at the Winchester Mystery House
When you know as much stuff about Disney history as Jim Korkis does, you get asked a lot of questions. Sometimes it’s pretty basic like “When did Disneyland open?” Other times it’s more obscure like “When did Mickey Mouse start wearing gloves?” Then there’s the question that’s totally off the wall like “How much does Walt Disney World weigh?” No, really, someone asked him that once. By the way, the answers are July 17, 1955, in the 1929 cartoon The Opry House, and haven’t got a clue. But, I digress. Jim is back in the Lounge once again...
MCL 12-16-2015 - 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' World Premiere
We are just days away from the release—finally—of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh episode in the Star Wars saga and the first since Disney plunked down $4 billion to buy Lucasfilm and its assorted intellectual properties. It’s been ten years since we saw a new Star Wars film in theaters and—let’s be honest—32 years since we saw a really good one. The Force Awakens comes with ridiculously high expectations from older fans who grew up with Star Wars as well as generations of younger fans gearing up for the next wave of new Star Wars fil...
MCL 12-11-2015 - Disney Historian Jim Korkis and Restoring Walt's Office
This week, the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank unveiled and rededicated the restored office suite of Walt Disney. It was a painstaking labor of love by Disney studio employees and archivists to recreate Walt’s office exactly as it appeared at the time of his death. It was authentic down to the actual furniture and personal items that were there in 1966. On hand for the dedication were Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, Walt’s granddaughter Joanna, and Disney Legends Richard Sherman and Dave Smith. We’ll be hearing from all of them in today's show. Befo...
MCL 12-04-2015 - Producer Don Hahn Talks About Disney Legend Richard Sherman
On December 17, PBS SoCal will air the musical special Richard M. Sherman: Songs of a Lifetime. It’s a one-hour studio performance by the songwriter and Disney Legend. Just him, a piano, and a few friends to sing along. It celebrates the decades-long musical collaboration that was the Sherman Brothers and it’s certain to include tunes from such classic Disney and non-Disney films like Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and so many others. Richard M. Sherman: Songs of a Lifetime is produced by Tim's guest today, a gentleman who’s also made signifi...
MCL 11-17-2015 - On the Red Carpet with the Cast of 'The Lion Guard'
Disney is returning to the Pride Lands for a new Disney Channel animated series based on The Lion King called The Lion Guard. The series itself will get underway in January, but you can get your first look at the next generation of Lion King characters when The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar debuts on Disney Channel on November 22 at 7:00 p.m. It’s a one-hour movie that introduces us to Kion, the second-born son of Simba and Nala—if you’ve ever seen the direct-to-video Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, you might recall Kion already has an older si...
MCL 11-08-2015 - Disney Auctions with Catherine Williamson and Mike Van Eaton
If you’re a collector of rare and unique Disney memorabilia, or even if you just want to see some pretty amazing stuff, November is the perfect month for you. There are two auctions scheduled for later this month that you really need to check out. On November 21, Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California, is auctioning off a massive assortment of Disneyland items, some dating back to the park’s opening in 1955. This is the second time this year that Van Eaton Galleries has had a Disneyland auction of this magnitude. Looking for a Space Mountain ride vehicle? They...
MCL 10-23-2015 - Disney Author and Historian Jim Fanning, 'The Disney Book'
You’d be hard pressed to find a more prolific Disney writer than Jim Fanning. For over 30 years, Jim has written countless articles for publications ranging from Disney News to Disney Magazine to Sketches to Disney twenty-three. He’s contributed stories to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney Newsreel and Persistence of Vision. His work internally at Disney has spanned nearly every division including Feature Animation, Home Video, Publishing, Interactive, Online, Educational, Character Voices, Disney Stores and Consumer Products. Not bad for a kid who started his career at Disney in the mail room. Jim has written a number of b...
MCL 10-16-2015 - Disney Historian Didier Ghez, 'They Drew as They Pleased'
Disney historian Didier Ghez is once again paying a visit to the Lounge—this will be his fourth time. He just can’t get enough of us. It’s always a pleasure to have Didier on the show and today he’s here to talk about his latest project, They Drew as They Pleased, a book series celebrating the great concept and story artists of Disney’s past. Before an animator begins to work magic with a character, he or she draws inspiration from the sketches and designs of concept artists. The Disney Studios set the standard...
MCL 10-03-2015 - Tom Sito, Part Two, and the CHOC Walk in the Park
For over 50 years, the Children’s Hospital of Orange County has provided state of the art pediatric care to children throughout Southern California. Walt Disney himself was among the many community leaders who championed the need for an area children’s hospital in the early 1960s and helped make it a reality. CHOC Children’s, as it’s known today, has grown from a 62-bed children’s hospital into a complete pediatric health care system with numerous facilities serving multiple counties. CHOC Children’s has been recognized nationally for both its critical care and nursing excellence. Each year, the Di...
MCL 09-27-2015 - Author, Historian and Disney Animator Tom Sito, Part One
Tom Sito has devoted his life to creating animation and preserving the animation profession’s rich history. Tom was an animator and story artist at Disney during the studio’s second golden age, contributing his talents to classic films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pocahontas. In the years that followed, Tom spent time at both DreamWorks Animation and Warner Bros. His credits at those studios include The Prince of Egypt, Antz, Shrek, Osmosis Jones and The Looney Tunes Movie. Tom served three terms as president of the Holl...
MCL 09-19-2015 - 'The Muppets' on ABC and 'The Emperor's New Groove'
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, the whole gang is back for a new show on ABC. The Muppets premieres this Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. And the thing that has us really excited about the show is it’s taking the behind-the-scenes antics that were part of the original Muppet Show and bringing them up to date. So, instead of seeing what goes on backstage while the Muppets desperately attempt to put on a theatrical review, we get to see what goes on behind the scenes as the Muppets attempt to produce a night-time TV talk sh...
MCL 09-11-2015 - 'Walt Disney' Producer and Director Sarah Colt
Nearly 50 years after his death, Walt Disney continues to fascinate us. A giant entertainment and media company that he co-founded thrives under his name, and dozens upon dozens of fansites, blogs and podcasts—including this one—exist because of what Walt created: a universe of fantasy and adventure where wishing on stars makes dreams come true and anything is possible with a little faith, trust and pixie dust. While many respect, even idolize Walt, he wasn’t without his detractors—no one who achieved as much success as he did is beyond reproach. For all his talent, creative vision and chari...
MCL 09-04-2015 - Disney Legend Bill "Sully" Sullivan, Part Two
We hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend. Tim is at the Disneyland Resort this weekend, not only for Force Friday--did you get any cool Star Wars Merchandise?--but also here for the 10th anniversary of the Disneyland Half Marathon. His guest in the Lounge today has nothing to do with either of those events, but you're really going to like him. He's Disney Legend Bill "Sully" Sullivan and you're going to hear part two of Tim's conversation with Sully about his nearly 40 years with Disney. Sully started out as a ticket taker on the Ju...
MCL 08-28-2015 - Disney Legend Bill "Sully" Sullivan, Part One
In the summer of 1955, William “Sully” Sullivan got a job at Disneyland, just days after he watched the park’s grand opening on television. It was the beginning of a career with Disney that lasted nearly forty years. Sully started out as a ticket taker on the Jungle Cruise before becoming a Jungle Cruise skipper. And that was just the beginning. Sully moved up the ranks at Disneyland, with side trips to the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley and the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York. He got to know both Walt Disney and Roy Disney. He even met his...
MCL 08-21-2015 - Inside the Disney Marketing Machine, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum and the Walt Disney Birthplace
Another D23 Expo has come and gone. Hopefully you caught our slightly inebriated recap of the festivities on Inside The Mouse Castle. Today, we’re going to sit down in the Lounge with some of the people who were part of the Expo. Tim's got Kaye Malins and Peter Whitehead with the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Walt’s boyhood home of Marceline, MO. They’re going to talk about their ambitious fundraising efforts to restore the Midget Autopia, which was relocated from Disneyland to the city of Marceline in 1966. It operated in Marceline for a number of years before...
MCL 08-14-2015 - The Making of 'Pinocchio' with Disney Historian J.B. Kaufman
Pinocchio is arguably Walt Disney's most triumphant achievement in animation. The charming, perilous and ultimately heroic story of the wooden boy who wanted to be real has delighted movie audiences for 75 years. It's a film that represents the absolute peak of Disney animation artistry and storytelling. How the movie came to life is as compelling as the story of Pinocchio himself, and author J.B. Kaufman has written an exquisitely detailed book about it: Pinocchio: The Making of the Disney Epic. J.B. is always a welcome guest in the Lounge. You may recall a conv...
MCL 08-07-2015 - Randy Thornton and Disney's Music Legacy
Randy Thornton is a long-time producer and restorer of Disney music. In his nearly 29 years with Walt Disney Records, he has received numerous recording industry awards including ten Gold Records, four platinum records, six Grammy nominations and one Grammy win. Randy is the producer of the "Lost Chords," a collection of songs originally written for classic Disney animated films like "Peter Pan" and "Cinderella" that never made it into the final productions. Some of those "Lost Chords" found their way into one of Randy’s other projects, "The Legacy Collection." "The Legacy Collection" is a series of collec...
MCL 07-31-2015 - Snow White, Silly Symphonies and the Disney Music Group
The D23 Expo is coming up August 14-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center. At a Disney fan gathering where the Walt Disney Studios and Disney Parks and Resorts typically get the lion's share of attention, the Disney Music Group this year will have a much higher profile. DMG oversees the various Disney recording labels like Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records and also runs Disney Music Publishing. In addition, they manage a very cool website where you can purchase all manner of Disney collectible music items, the Disney Music Emporium. At the D23 Expo, the Disney Music Group and the Di...
MCL 07-24-2015 - Disney, Dali and 'Destino' with Ted Nicolaou
It was inevitable—call it destiny, if you will--that the creative paths of Walt Disney and Salvador Dali would one day cross. Both men were born in the early 1900s, and although they were continents apart, they shared similar upbringings. Both had artistic ambitions and both would eventually become the standard-bearers of their respective mediums: Walt in animation and visual storytelling, Dali in fine art and the surrealist movement. Their personalities could not have been more different. Dali was the flamboyant eccentric, Walt the more reserved, but no-less driven, filmmaker. Each saw the other as a kindred spi...